Peyton Blaylock of Appleton celebrated her eighth birthday by asking her friends to bring nonperishable food items to donate to the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley in lieu of birthday gifts.

Written by

Meghan Diemel
For Post-Crescent Media

If you're an 8-year-old girl, dancing with your friends and opening a pile of brightly papered presents might sound like the world's best birthday party. But some children are pushing aside the potential birthday gifts for a more philanthropic spin: donating needed goods to nonprofit organizations.

Peyton Blaylock, daughter of Melissa and Dan Blaylock of Appleton, did just that earlier this summer. To celebrate her eighth birthday, she asked that her friends bring a nonperishable food item to donate to the less fortunate, in lieu of birthday gifts.